art for humanity...'the art of human rights'
is a non-profit organisation based in Durban, South Africa which specialises in producing fine art print portfolios, exhibitions, billboards and research projects that advocate various human rights issues in South Africa and internationally. The Art for Humanity website serves as an online resource for those interested in human rights, art and social development.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Interpret Durban is a contest for the
creative mind that runs through the whole of September, the main event is usually
at the end of the month which brings together an award ceremony, exhibition of
some of the works and stellar performances from some of Durban’s musical acts such as Fruit and Veggies and Coals of Juniper. This
year the event will be held on the 29th of September at the Bat
Centre with a whopping R160 000 worth of prizes.

The theme for this year is “ENTER
DURBAN” where you are asked to consider the city “from a tourist’s perspective
as someone approaching Durban with fresh eyes” and the categories are video,
photography and t-shirt design (which is by invite only). Entries do close
today on the 25th of September, so if you haven’t entered yet, now
would be a good time.

The event is offering a free shuttle
service to and from the Bat Centre on the night of the main event. The shuttle
will begin the route from 6pm, starting at the KZNSA and making its way to “Cube”
on Innes Rd and after it heads to the Bat Centre where passengers will be
dropped off on the Esplanade and guided through the tunnel under the train
tracks by INTERPRET DURBAN personnel. The shuttle will then go back around to
KZNSA and start its rounds again.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Professor Nogwaja Shadrack Zulu visited the
Journalism department yesterday for a thought provoking talk on culture,
language and the media. He is part of the Commission for the Promotion and
Protection of the Rights of Cultural Religious and Linguistic Communities and a
lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. In the
beginning of his speech he spoke about the current state of the media.

Commissioner Zulu listening to comments from the audience

“There are papers that I buy that are
interested in headlines, there’s an act that’s developing, and we are reading
these tabloids with big personalities. Some of the stories about the farm
people who are working in farms that are still oppressed by these farmers,
nobody talks about them, nobody, it doesn’t exist in the media.”

He preached about the importance of a person’s
right to privacy and dignity referring to the revealing now defaced painting of
President Jacob Zuma and the current case on the topless pictures of the Dutchess
of Cambridge Kate Middleton. He emphasised the need for a balance in our
democracy and a responsibility to each citizen not to abuse the rights
enshrined in our constitution.

On the topic of language, he didn’t believe
indigenous languages are facing any form of threat or challenge by virtue of
the first newspaper being written in an African language and the first English newspaper
being written by a native South African and the arrival of John Dube with his
paper, iLanga laseNatal. But he did note the colonisation of South Africa has
played a role in how we view and perceive our language and heritage.

He concluded by stating the need for people
to understand that South Africa does not have one culture, instead it is a
diverse country with different heritage, religions, colours and cultures. And not
just in South Africa but Africa as a whole.

“We are connected, we are one because we
are South Africans, we are the same and we are all human.”